Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are emerging as a viable power source in the marine environment. MFCs function through the transport of electrons from bacterial populations as a result of naturally occurring metabolic processes. The bacteria metabolize organic material in sediment on ocean floors, estuaries, and other similar environments. MFCs offer great potential as a continuous long term power source for low-power applications because they harness electricity from naturally occurring processes in the marine sediment, which naturally renews its fuel supply.
Carbon cloth is one type of anode that is used for MFCs. However, use of carbon cloth currently requires divers to manually bury the cloth in sediment, which is costly and time-consuming. A need exists for a device that can effectively and efficiently bury fabric cloth, such as carbon cloth, in marine sediment without the use of divers.